title: Speckle tracking echocardiographic analysis of left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions of young elite athletes with eccentric and concentric type of cardiac remodeling.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In individuals who exercise regularly and for extended periods of time, some structural alterations in the heart, called the athlete's heart, develop in time. These alterations vary in type, can be eccentric or concentric, depending on the nature of exercise. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a novel, angle-independent method that accurately and reliably measures systolic and diastolic functions of the left ventricle (LV) with considerably lower inter-operator variability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two marathon runners, 24 wrestlers, and 20 healthy sedentary individuals were included in the study. The average age of subjects is 17.5 ± 2.2 in marathon runners, 16.8 ± 1.9 in wrestlers, and 16.4 ± 1.8 in control group. The parameters of LV longitudinal strain (S), LV longitudinal strain rate systolic (SRS), LV longitudinal strain rate diastolic early filling (SRE), and longitudinal strain rate diastolic late filling (SRA) were evaluated by apical two-, three-, and four-chamber grayscale imaging using the global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GLS rate (GLSR). Conventional echocardiographic parameters demonstrated increased LV diameters and wall thickness in the marathon runners and increased wall thickness without increased LV diameters in the wrestlers. Systolic and diastolic functions were comparable between the marathon runners and wrestlers with conventional echocardiography. Analysis with STE, however, yielded higher systolic strain and strain rates in the athletes. Normalized GLS parameters and end-diastolic volume (EDV) were shown to be correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, conventional echocardiography can detect some differences between young athletes with eccentric and concentric type of athlete's heart but it is incapable of revealing differences in intrinsic myocardial functions. However, analysis using STE demonstrated increased systolic functions in athletes commensurate with increased load, with unaltered diastolic functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ziya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hakan Tas
authors.forename: Husnu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Degirmenci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gokhan Yazıcı
authors.forename: Emrah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ipek
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.forename: Fuat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gundogdu
authors.forename: Sule
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karakelleoglu
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Senocak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D059267:Cardiomegaly, Exercise-Induced / Q000502:physiology*; D003971:Diastole; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D013599:Systole; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*; D014952:Wrestling / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: athlete's heart; hypertrophy; tissue and strain Doppler echocardiography